Today in White Sox History: May 20

The punch heard around Chicagoland

1973

A Sunday afternoon Bat Day doubleheader with the Twins brought the largest crowd out to ever see a game in the original Comiskey Park. A crowd of 55,555 packed into the stadium, filling every single inch including the catwalks that connected the left- and right-field bleachers with the center field scoreboard area, which were turned into spontaneous standing-room-only seating. 

To his dying day, Bill Veeck refused to believe that attendance figure was accurate. The White Sox split the pair of games that afternoon.

2006

The White Sox-Cubs rivalry never got hotter than on this day at U.S. Cellular Field, when Cubs catcher Michael Barrett sucker-punched A.J. Pierzynski, which started a brawl around home plate.

In the second inning, Brian Anderson hit a fly to left field. A.J. tagged up, ran over Barrett blocking the plate, then went back and slapped his hand on home plate to make sure he scored. Barrett took exception and punched Pierzynski on the side of his jaw. The punch didn’t faze A.J., but both benches cleared. As a result Barrett, A.J., Anderson and John Mabry were ejected. The Sox, behind Freddy García, won the game, 7-0. Tadahito Iguchi belted two home runs (one a grand slam), and drove in six runs on the day.